As you read this I am on my way to New Orleans, Louisiana to celebrate the New Years. I’m staying a block off Bourbon Street in the French Quarter – hopefully I’ll do something worth writing about while I’m there. Also, my newest book “Liberty Defined” by Ron Paul came in today so expect some good political debate resulting from that. A few of the chapters include: Abortion, Capital Punishment, Empire, Education, Gun Control, Terrorism, Torture, Immigration, Zionism, and about 40 other great topics I have been begging to touch on.

In the mean time, while I’m enjoying a New Years vacation I figured I would compile 11 posts for 2011 that I think you should read (or re-read). See you in 2012!

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“Legendary-ish Stories” is a series I plan to write occasionally in which I describe actual incidents that happened in my life. These incidents often involve alcohol and at times immorality – neither of which I necessarily condone. With these stories I hope to add a touch of humor and display human imperfection while simultaneously eroding my credibility. Enjoy.

When I was in college my wife (then girlfriend) spent a brief stint in a sorority. I will say that there are certain social benefits one gets from being part of any organisation – in this case I found myself invited to quite a few parties and retreats with free alcohol. On one particular occasion the sorority decided it would be a great idea to throw a cabin themed event. So a few weeks later I found myself 2 hours from the nearest town in a giant cabin with about 40 or so other college aged people – with more alcohol than is healthy for any group of individuals isolated in the woods to have in their possession.

On the last night in the cabin was the “big blow out” event. It was the expectation that everyone would binge drink and leave not a drop of alcoholic beverage on the property. So I guess that is where my story really begins.

I was scoping out the attendees of the party – trying to find someone who would be willing to consume gratuitous amounts of alcohol with me. That’s when I saw Charley. He was a chubby guy drinking a Guiness at a table with his date. I could tell by the look of him he had the energy needed to take us through a night of binge drinking. I mean who drinks a Guiness that can’t hold their weight when it comes to alcohol?

The next thing I knew we were throwing back shots of free vodka, chugging beers, and drinking booze at a rate that is dangerous because you drink faster than you feel the effects. At some point during our binge drinking glory Charley went missing. Gone. No where to be found. I was drunk so I didn’t think much of it – hell I barely knew where I was! That’s when Charley’s date came running down the stairs in a panic. By the drunken look of panic in her face I assumed that someone had died – or she had lost her make-up bag.

“Charley locked himself in the bathroom, I heard him fall, and the door is locked – he’s not responding and I can’t get the door open!”

To add to our little situation we found out that the bath tube was running – which made it highly likely that Charley was about to drown while passed out in the tube. Had I been sober I may have responded more rationally, but under the intoxicated circumstance I decided that I was the obvious choice to save Charley – so I went up the stairs to investigate.

I knocked on the door, but of course there was no response. We decided it would be best to unlock the door just in case poor Charley was choking on vomit and bath water. Eventually someone a little more clear headed was able to open the door – but the sight we saw was more horrible than I or anyone else could have EVER imagined.

There Charley sat, in his own shit, naked. His fat belly was smeared with the foulest smelling human excrement I had ever experienced. There is modest penis lay, not proud and shriveled for all of the sorority sisters to see. He opened his eyes and without a word noticed we were looking, but not concerned, fell into the bath tub. We thought we had found a stroke of luck until his clumsy foot closed the drain. The water started to rise.

A few moments later Charley was chest deep in his own pooh water. A soup of his own shit where he was the main ingredient. I started to scream at Charley – there was no way I was going to put my hand in the tainted water to open that drain and it wasn’t an option to let the water flood the cabin. Finally he complied and the tub emptied. What was left was a ring of shit that covered the previously pearly white bathroom. The fesses cover his body too – like a fresh spray on tan – if that spray happened to be shit stew.

To make matters even worse I noticed there was a police officer standing next to me. He was in as much disbelief as me. We couldn’t believe the sad sight before us. Apparently in the panic someone had called 9-1-1. The police came to “save” poor Charley from alcohol poisoning.

Since there was a large amount of alcohol involved the police officer decided to check each of our IDs. Luckily everyone who had consumed alcohol was 21 – that is almost everyone. Our poor pooh covered friend was a mere 20 years old. So to add to the fact that he was covered in a brown film – he was also going to jail. The police officers loaded him in the police car and took him to the station. That’s also when it began to snow.

It kept snowing for 2 days. It was a blizzard in Georgia. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but in Georgia when it snows the state shuts down. No one drives because we can’t clear the roads. That means that poor Charley was destined to a jail cell in the south Georgia countryside for 3 days and nights – a nice lesson for a guy who shat himself.

Me? Well I learned a lot that night. One – just because a guy is drinking a Guiness doesn’t make him a good drinking partner and Two – never shit yourself.

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I have often wondered if it was human nature to be evil, flawed, and self centered. There are whole schools of thought based around the idea that people are selfish. There is a lot of evidence that says we are, by nature. What if that’s not true? What if we are only selfish as a product of our environment? Does this mean that we have created our own misery and that our natural evolution would have us be so much more peaceful and caring? What do you think?

See what the scientist has to say about Empathy.

I’m of the opinion that the old saying “out of sight, out of mind” is all too true. It’s easy to lose empathy for a guy you just fired if that means your family gets a little more food to eat. There is a fine line between empathy for a stranger and self benefit for yourself and your family. I think there is a lot of hope and truth in the video, but I still think that hundreds of years of human actions would prove that we are MOSTLY self/immediate family concerned when making decisions and less universally empathetic. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could expand our self centered view point and care about everyone enough to repress our selfishness though?

Imagine if we cared about the starving children in Africa as much as we did about our hungry son or daughter – I imagine that would be and immediate cure for world hunger, disease, and war. It’s a great thought.

First of all, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for reading my dear old blog. Its the comments I get here and there and the one or two regulars I see that really keep me going. What I do here is a lot of discussion and talk about what I believe is the “truth” – whether it be about politics, religion, or whatever in life I find interesting at the time – but at the same time I think it is important to take a moment to reflect on all the good things out there. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Atheist, Naturalist, Republican, Libertarian, Tea Partier, Democrat, Socialist – or whatever – we can all pretty much agree that stopping for a moment and cherishing what’s important in life – what makes us happy – is what this short life of ours is all about.

So this holiday season – whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, or just sitting around with your family members who you think are idiots for celebrating anything at all remember to take a moment and just enjoy the time with family – no matter what it is that brought you all together. Cherish the laughs you share, the good food you might eat, and that you care about each other enough to spend the weekend together.

Sometimes I spoil the holiday season for myself because I get caught up in ranting about and disliking the consumerist monster this time of year has become. I hate the idea that buying gifts has become an expectation rather than an act of cherity – and it irks me even more that those who claim to be religious are all the more guilty of the scheme. But allow me to stop right there – because despite my feelings – in the end I find the Christmas spirit for myself and look around and take a breath and remember to just enjoy my life for a minute. You can only fight so hard, but what’s it all worth if you forget what you’re fighting for, right?

So no matter who you are or what you believe just remember to enjoy life, live, and love.

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I have argued that we should legalize Drugs before and how the War on Drugs is currently failing, miserably. Well what if we had proof that ending the war on drugs would work – well here you go! More proof the war on drugs is worthless. I’m not making this stuff up folks.

Marriage is defined as between a man and a woman. That’s what the law tells us. So what about two individuals of the same sex? Why is it that so many Americans find it immoral for this group of individuals to have the same right – to engage in marriage under the law? Furthermore, how can the legal system justify withholding this right from a certain group of people?

It is a basic tenant of personal property rights that individuals may engage in any personal relationship they wish when their rights do not infringe on anyone else’s property. How can the government limit such a personal relationship, especially when it is between two consenting adults in which there is no victim of their actions?

To quote congressman Ron Paul:

“I think the government should just be out of it (marital rights). I think it should be done by the church or private contract, and we shouldn’t have this argument…Who’s married and who isn’t married. I have my standards but I shouldn’t have to impose my standards on others. Other people have their standards and they have no right to impose their marriage standards on me…if we want to have something to say about marriage it should be at the state level, and not at the federal government.

In a free society…all voluntary and consensual agreements would be recognized…There should essentially be no limits to the voluntary definition of marriage.

Everyone can have his or her own definition of what marriage means, and if an agreement or contract is reached by the participants, it would qualify as a civil contract if desired…Why not tolerate everyone’s definition as long as neither side uses force to impose its views on the other? Problem solved!” (re: Ron Paul)

An honest American will admit that the SINGLE reason the personal relationship between two members of the same sex are constricted is solely due to the Judeo-Christian values are being enforced by the Federal Government and have become the status quo of our American society. No legal, moral, or political reasoning can be given to justify the withholding of such a right to a certain minority in the population. While a religious person may argue that the majority of Americans share these Judeo-Christian beliefs, thus it is justified that the majority rule when it comes to upholding moral philosophies by law; however, how can that be when the law is to be enforced outside and independently of any religious dogma or any majority rule!

The Judeo-Christian moral code is irrelevant in cases of the law! Most religious people would agree that Satanism is immoral; however, the Satanist belief system and practice is protected under the law. Again, other issues that may be viewed as moral vices are protected as well – pornography, intoxication, and lude language, to name a few. Why does society accept these activities, but raise such concerns with homosexuality? Could it be because society, in general, enjoys the right to sometimes utilize such “immoral” behaviors? Yet the majority so willingly and hypocritically advocates the removal of another’s personal and legal rights when it does not interfere with the lives of those making or enforcing the law! Even if one may argue same sex marriage is immoral – they cannot justifiably remove the institutional right under the law!

Only a few decades ago our legal system thought it appropriate to limit the rights of an individual based on race – today we realize that such a notion is completely ridiculous. In the South, blacks were prohibited from eating at certain restaurants, attending the same schools, or even using the same seating section on public transit. To go a step further – it was unheard of for a person of color to engage in a relationship with anyone outside their race. Today it is morally unacceptable to argue such things! So why does society condone the limiting of basic civil and property rights to a person who happens to be attracted to, and fall in love with, a member of the same sex? Who are we so perfect to deem their relationship and feeling unworthy?

To take another approach – what is so immoral about two consenting parties engaging in the ultimate commitment to each other? Can one form an intellectually logical argument against Gay marriage? Can one deny the feelings two responsible adults feel toward each other? Can one deny the positive influence the Gay community has had on neighborhoods across America? (re: The Castro District) Wouldn’t a gay couple engaging in marriage, reaping the emotional and psychological benefits of a stable monogamous relationship be something that all Americans want for our citizens if they so choose? None of this really matters though – as this is a matter of personal liberty and property rights – not one sects view of morality!

The simple fact is this: regardless of your personal feelings and beliefs about homosexuality or Gay marriage, marriage of any kind between two consenting parties is an individual property right – they own the right to whatever relationships they deem necessary for their particular pursuit happiness! The Government has no right – naturally, legally, or constitutionally – to prohibit such a relationship from being formed. Societies current opinion on the issue is irrelevant. I will say this though – history has always sided in favor of civil rights – and in the coming decades we will look back on this restriction of personal relationships as a blemish on par with racism that we so shamefully regret today.